The Japanese-Americans in World War II Collection measures 1 linear foot and dates from
1920 to 1995. The collection contains both contemporary and contemporaneous materials
about the relocation of Japanese during World War II from the perspective of
Japanese-Americans as well as that of the United States government. The collection is
arranged in two series: Japanese-American perspective and Official government stance.

Background

"During World War II all persons of Japanese ancestry on the U.S. West Coast were
forcibly evacuated from their homes and relocated in inland detention centers as a result
of mass hysteria following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The
U.S. government claimed it was forced by public hysteria, agitation by the press and
radio, and military pressure to establish the War Relocation Authority by executive order
(March 18, 1942); this agency administered the mass evacuation.